Deacon's Beacon . . .
by Jan Brown, Deacon
(from August 2000 Tidings)

Orders of Ministry within the Episcopal Church

A few weeks ago, on the anniversary of his ordination to the Diaconate, Fr. Gerry preached the sermon that he gave the day after his ordination. Several of you came to me after that sermon and showed some confusion about the diaconate. Therefore, I decided to use the Deacon's Beacon this month to explain the Orders of Ministry within the Episcopal Church.

There are four Orders of Ministry. The first and largest Order is the Laity. That is every member of the church is called by Jesus Christ to ministry. The scope of lay ministry is enormous. If you are not involved in ministry and would like to know more - please speak to Fr. Jim, Fr. Gerry, me or anyone active within our congregation! The three Orders of Ordained Ministry are Bishops, Priests and Deacons.

The institution of the Diaconate is traditionally seen in the ordination of the seven for service to the poor and distribution of alms as recorded in Acts 6:1-6. All priests are ordained as Deacons soon after they complete their seminary training. This portion of the Diaconate is known as "transitional'' deacons. They usually serve within the church doing servant ministry for approximately a year before being ordained to the priesthood. Deacons are not permitted to consecrate the Elements at the Eucharist, to pronounce absolution for sins, or to proclaim God's blessing.

All bishops are priests who have been consecrated as regional overseers of local ministries. Bishops are distinguished from other priests chiefly by their power to confer Holy Orders and to administer Confirmation.

The other portion of the Diaconate is known as "vocational" deacons. A vocational deacon develops ministry outside of the church to bring the gospel and assistance to people in need who are not necessarily churched. Deacons serve as bridge ministers, bringing the world's needs to the attention of the church and, likewise, taking the church into the world. They also assist the priest and /or bishop at public worship. This is the order to which I belong.

Therefore, all bishops are priests. All priests are deacons — but not all deacons become priests! It is a great comfort to all of us that our priests and bishops continue in their role of deacon throughout their ministry. That attitude of service helps us all to keep our eyes on Jesus and His kingdom. To God be the glory.

Joyfully,
Jan

See Jan's previous articles: